The present invention deals with certain novel furanone derivatives, which are formed under proper conditions from a series of pyruvate derivatives described in our prior applications, U.S. Ser. Nos. 10/138,937 and 10/138,032.
Furanones are compounds having the following general structure.
Furanone-derived compositions have been known in the art to have various utilities. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,889 describes the use of certain furanone compounds in conjunction with 1-nonen-3-one to provide dairy and coffee aroma flavor enhancement. Specific furanones (for example, 3,-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-4-(4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)-2-(5H)-furanone, 3-phenyl-4-(4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)-2-(5H)-furanone and 5,5-dimethyl-4-(4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)-3-(3-fluorophenyl)-5H-furan-2-one) have been shown to be cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors useful in treating certain inflammatory conditions (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,474,995, 6,239,173). The diversity of furanone derivative utilities is further illustrated by the discovery of certain halogenated furanones isolated from the Australian red seaweed Delisea nulcha as marine anti-fouling agents (U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,046) capable of preventing growth of various seaweeds, invertebrates and bacteria on marine structures. The furanone derivative 4-hydroxy-3-methanesulfonyl-2-methanesulfonylmethyl-5-oxo-2,5-dihydro-furan-2-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (CAS Registry No. 299923-61-8), is available for screening from the compound library of InterBioScreen Ltd. (Moscow, Russia-www.ibscreen.com), among other sources.
The synthesis of the compound 4-hydroxy-3-isobutyl-2-(3-methyl-butyryl)-5-oxo-2,5-dihydro-furan-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester has been described in Trogolo, C. et al Annali di Chimica 62(10), 674-92, (1972) and the synthesis of 4-hydroxy-5-oxo-2,3-dipentyl-2,5-dihydro-furan-2-carboxylic acid ethyl ester has been described in Hoffman, R. V. et al. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 62(8)2458-2465, (1997). The synthesis of certain furanonoes derivatives from hydroxy alkanoates is described in Stach, H., Helvetica Chimica Acta (1987), 70(2), 369-74.
Cerebral ischemia or “stroke” refers to the severe diminution or cessation of blood flow to all or part of the brain. Cerebral ischemia can occur as result of a number of causes or insults, including, but not limited to cerebrovascular occlusion, thromboembolytic insult, cardiac failure and hemorrhagic accident. It is now known that pharmacologic intervention, if provided within a reasonable interval of the initial insult, can significantly reduce cerebral tissue death following cerebral ischemia.
Alzheimer's Disease (“AD”) is a progressive disease of the human central nervous system. It is manifested by dementia in the elderly, by disorientation, loss of memory, difficulty with language, calculation, or visual-spatial skills, and by psychiatric manifestations. It is associated with degenerating neurons in several regions of the brain. Alzheimer's Disease is reviewed by Price, D. L. et al. (Clin. Neuropharm. 14:S9-S14 (1991)); Pollwein, P. et al. (Nucl. Acids Res. 20:63-68 (1992)); Regland, B. et al. (Med. Hypoth. 38:11-19 (1992)) and Johnson, S. A. (In: Review of Biological Research in Aging, Vol. 4., Rothstein, M. (Ed.), Wiley-Liss, NY, 163-170 (1990)).
The present invention addresses the desire to provide the therapies for conditions characterized by oxidative stress and/or inflammation, and particularly, for providing neuroprotection in the event of cerebral ischemia; especially desired are agents that are effective even if first administered after a significant period of time (e.g., about 5 or more hours) following an ischemic insult. The present invention also addresses the desire to provide new therapies for conditions characterized by neuroinflammation, cognitive disorders, and/or neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and senile dementia, as well as dermatological disorders or diseases.